The Note
by LariaKaiba
Summary: As boredom dwells over the Shinigami Realm a death god drops a single Death Note into the the Human World. We all know the epic battle that started... but what if someone else picked up the Death Note first?
1. Chapter 1

**-- I've had this rattling around my brain for a couple weeks now, and after discussing possible plot lines with several people I've finally hammered out (sort of) and decent plot line for this idea.**

**It's been fortunate that we've been really slow at work the past two days so I could start writing... but once the Nazis take over the warehouse I'll be reduced to writing only during lunches... or at home since I'll have less hours .;;;**

**Btw, I'm totally dedicating this story to Windy-sama cause she's really helped me get back into writing. Bless her.--**

* * *

**Chapter One**

In a dissolute, barren land a dark figure sat watching. It was the same thing day after day, nothing ever changed. Figures were scattered over the land, gambling or wandering around like mindless drones.

The Shinigami Realm had become pointless, boring, particularly to one Death God, by the name of Ryuk.

"Two death's heads," said one of the two shinigami sitting closest to Ryuk, "I win again."

"It's been five days now," Ryuk said to himself standing up, "Bout time I got going."

"Hm, where you off too, Ryuk?" the second shinigami asked.

"Anyplace you go around here its all barren anyways, hee hee," said the first.

"I dropped my Death Note," Ryuk said, walking past the two.

"Whoops! You really screwed up man!" laughed the first one.

"So you got any idea where you dropped it?" asked the second.

"Yeah," Ryuk said without breaking stride, "The Human World."

"What!?" the two shinigami exclaimed in unison.

Ryuk walked away from them without another word. After all, it was no accident he dropped the Death Note, he was bored with the monotonous of the Shinigami Realm and perhaps the Human World would prove more... interesting.

Down a long staircase Ryuk found himself at the entrance to the Human World. He couldn't wait to see who had picked up the Death Note...

--(--)--

**Five Days Earlier**

It was an unusually dreary day. Thick gray clouds fell over the Domino sky, ones that threatened to rain at any second. It was cold for what should have been a nice spring day and Yugi Motou was glad to be in class on a day like this.

He stared absentmindedly out the window as the teacher drawled on. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something small and black seem to fall out of the sky. He quickly glanced over and saw laying on the ground was...

"A notebook?" he said quietly to himself.

Before his thoughts could pursue it further the bell signaling the end of class rang. Yugi quickly gathered up this books and filed out of the room with the rest if his classmates.

It was the end of the day so Yugi followed the flow of students into the depressing outside air. He glanced around, a bolt of lightening shot through the air as his deep purple eyes fell on the black notebook. Almost instantly it started to rain, downpour. Yugi's gaze stayed on the notebook as he walked up to it. It laid on the pavement undisturbed because everyone around it was now running for cover from the sudden storm.

Everyone except Yugi.

Stopping, he reached down and grasped the notebook in his hand. It seemed just like a normal notebook, but it had such a strong presence to it. He flipped it over and saw written on the front:

_Death Note_.

He blinked curiously at it as his yami stirred in the back of his mind.

"Hey Yug'!"

Yugi's head shot up. He saw Jounouchi waving at him from his car.

"What are you doing standing there getting soaked?" the blonde laughed, "Come on!"

"Ok!" Yugi called back, shoving the notebook into his bag and running to the car.

"Crazy weather we're having," he said as he got into the car.

"No doubt," Jounouchi said as they drove away.

--(--)--

"Grandpa! I'm home!" Yugi said as he arrived at the Turtle Game Shop later that night.

"Ah, Yugi! You're home late," Grandpa Motou said.

"Oh, yeah, I went over to Jou's after school. You know how he gets in this weather," Yugi sighed, "Sorry I forgot to call."

"Ho ho! That's fine, my boy!" Grandpa Motou laughed.

"He's gotten a lot better at Duel Monsters though, Grandpa," Yugi said as he reached the stairs that lead to the second floor and house of the game shop, "He might even be better then me someday."

"I doubt that, Yugi, I doubt that," mused the old man.

"Oh, Grandpa," Yugi shook his head before climbing the stairs to his room.

The room was dark when he entered. He flicked on a light and flopped down on his bed, enjoying the peaceful sound of the rain trickling down his window. It was only then that he remembered the black notebook in his school bag.

"Death note..." he repeated to himself. Curiosity got the better of him and he jumped up, grabbing the Death Note from his bag. He sat on his bed examining it, running his hand over the front cover. It was just a normal notebook.

He flipped it open and written on the inside cover were a set of instructions:

_How to Use_

_The human whose name is written in this note will die._

_This note will not take effect unless the writer has the persons face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefor, people with the same name will not be affected._

_If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the persons name, it will happen._

_After writing the cause of death details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds. _

"A notebook that kills?" Yugi asked out loud, "What a joke."

"It could be real, Aibou." said a deep voice from beside him. Yugi didn't even make any notice to the fact that there was now an older version of himself sitting next to him on the bed. By now he was quite used to his darker half materializing out of no where.

"That's impossible," Yugi commented, thumbing through the pages of the Death Note.

"There are some who would probably believe the Millennium Items are impossible too," the spirit said.

"But, other me, this is different," Yugi argued, "the Items were made a long time ago, this is probably just something the goth kids started for fun."

"Are they the pale ones with the crazy hair?"

"Yup," Yugi closed the Death Note, looking at the cover one last time, "I know! I'll show it to Ryou at school Monday, he's all over this kind of stuff."

"Let him see it, but don't give it to him," the spirit said as Yugi slipped the Death Note back into his bag, "Just in case."

"If you insist, silly pants."

The spirit glanced grimly at the bag before returning to his soul room for the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**--The story has already taken a turn from the original plot already, and it's only the second chapter ..;; It has a mind of its own I swear.**

**Anywhos, enjoy the second chapter. xD --**

* * *

**The Note**

**Chapter Two**

"The human whose name is written in this note will die?" Jounouchi asked.

Yugi nodded.

"What kind of mook would believe that!" the blonde laughed.

"That's some sick joke," Tea said with a a shiver.

The weekend had gone by uneventfully. Yugi spent half the weekend helping him grandpa in the game shop, and the other half with the Death Note. He must have read over the instructions about a hundred times... It seemed pretty detailed for being 'some sick joke'. Then again... maybe that was the point.

After school, Yugi now sat with the Death Note open on his desk. Jounouchi, Honda, and Tea stood around him.

"You should write someone's name in it!"

"Jou!" Tea gasped, "We don't want to kill anyone!"

"Come on, Tea, stop over reacting," said Honda, "It's just a notebook."

"Yeah!" Jounouchi agreed, "Come on, Yug'!"

"I don't know..." Yugi said looking up at his friends.

"Hey there's Bakura, maybe he'd he'll know about it!"

Ryou Bakura was walking by the classroom when Honda waved over to him. He stopped and blinked curiously at them, it wasn't often he was actually invited to join their little group. He shuffled over to Yugi's desk.

"Hello all," he smiled, "What have we got here?"

"A Death Note," said Yugi, flipping it closed so Ryou could see the front cover.

"Death... Note?" the white haired teen asked.

"A notebook that can kill!" Jounouchi explained, "We figured you would know about it since you're into all that creepy occult shit."

"I've never heard of such a thing."

"See! That proves that it's not real," said Jounouchi, ignoring the look Ryou was giving him, "Let's write Kaiba's name in it!"

"What? how does that prove anything you idiot," Honda laughed, smacking the back of Jounouchi's head.

"Hey!" the blonde fumed, "Why I oughta!"

Yugi and Tea laughed as the two bickered, meanwhile Ryou's eyes were glued to the Death Note. He felt the same stirring in the back of his mind that Yugi had felt upon first laying eyes on the note... this stirring, however, was not a good thing.

"Can I... see the the Death Note," he found himself asking.

"Sure thing," Yugi handed the note to Ryou, "Anyone else want to see it?"

"Hell no!" Jounouchi exclaimed, jumping behind Honda, "Keep that thing away from me!"

"Two seconds ago you were egging Yugi to write a name in it," said Honda.

"It's still creepy looking!"

Ryou looked it over. Just a regular notebook... figures. Something in the furthest depths of his mind was greatly disappointed... But still...

"You should write a name in it."

"That's the spirit!" Jounouchi cheered, "Come on Yug', just for kicks and giggles."

Ryou handed the Death Note back to Yugi.

"Well..." Yugi mulled it over for a second, it was just a notebook, it couldn't hurt, "Alright, just for fun, who should we write down?"

"Kaiba!" grinned Jounouchi, "That bastard has it coming!"

"I think we should write Jou's name down," Honda said, "Then maybe we'd get some peace and quiet."

"Why you!" Jounouchi growled, grabbing the collar of Honda's shirt. Honda just laughed at him.

Yugi gripped his pencil in his hand and opened the Death Note to a random page. He took a deep breath and scribbled down two words:

_Seto Kaiba._

The five of them stared at the note in silence for almost two minutes.

"... That's it?" Jounouchi finally asked.

"Idiot, it's just a notebook," Honda sighed, "What did you expect?"

"I donno," the blonde shrugged, "I almost thought _something _should have happened. How anticlimactic."

"Well, I've got to get going," Ryou said turning from the group and heading out of the classroom.

"Alright man, catch you later!"

"Yeah... later."

In the hallway Ryou's eyes narrowed and his features hardened.

"Ignorant fools," he spat, "What a waste of time."

--(--)--

"Grandpa, I'm home!" the short duelist announced as he stepped through the door of the game shop. He looked around and saw that Grandpa Motou was no where to be seen.

"Grandpa?" Yugi called again, heading to the back of the shop. There he saw his grandfather leaning against a counter watching a small television. A news program was on.

"Ah, my boy, come here," Grandpa Motou said, gesturing him over to the television. Yugi moved closer, the elder turned up the volume.

"This is Andrew Yani from Channel One news coming to you live from just outside Kaiba Crop.," said the newscaster, behind him was many other anchors and camera men from what seemed to be every news center in the world, "We have just received word that earlier today president of the company, Seto Kaiba, collapsed during a business meeting."

The bottom of Yugi's stomach dropped.

"Details of the incident have yet to be revealed," the camera moved to show that there were already several ambulances on the scene, "We will be here until--"

There was suddenly a commotion behind Andrew Yani. Kaiba Corp doors opened and the telecasters went wild, snapping photos and spewing out questions. Several large body guards held the masses back something came out of the building. The Channel One news camera zoomed in to see a very shaky picture of several medical technicians wheeling Seto Kaiba out on a gurney, the CEO wasn't moving at all. His younger brother followed closely, and even from the distance of the camera one could see the tears streaming down his face.

"We've just had an update," the camera zoomed back to Andrew Yani, who was listening to speaker in his ear, "Yes, it seems at 3:42 this afternoon Seto Kaiba, CEO of Kaiba Corp., collapsed from a heart attack."

Yugi's mouth went instantly dry.

"It has been confirmed," Andrew Yani continued, "Seto Kaiba is dead."


	3. Chapter 3

**-- This chapter took me a bit longer, sorry about that. Been busy with work and what not.**

**This story is also a great challenge for me. It's the first real serious story I've written since _My December_ and I've never written with Yugi/Atem being the main character.**

**I really hope I captured the mood in this chapter.**

**And before I go on, the death in the last chapter had it's purpose, I didn't do that for my own amusement... well, not _totally_ my own amusement. I was supposed to kill Pegsy, but while writing the chapter I figured this death would have had a bigger affect on, well, everyone.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. --**

**Chapter Three**

Yugi took deep breaths as he leaned against his closed bedroom door. He heart beat so fast he thought he might have a heart attack himself. Maybe there was an after affect of the Death Note... not only does it kill any name written in it.. it kills the writer too.

From inside his soul room the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle could sense Yugi's pain. Never had the younger soul felt so distraught. It tore at the the spirits heart.

"Aibou," said the spirit, materializing in front of the youth. Yugi gave one look at his other self before sinking to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably, "Aibou, please calm down."

The spirit knelt down, placing a hand on Yugi's shoulder.

"I killed him!"

His voice came out in a shuddered whisper. His breathing had become so hard he was almost hyperventilating.

"Aibou, stop!"

"I-it was just supposed to be for fun!" Yugi cried, "B-but I wrote his name down and he d-died! I-I-I'm a _murderer!_"

"Yugi!" the spirits deep voice barked. The youths head snapped up at that, his other never called him by his real name.

"Other me..." he whimpered.

"Calm down," the spirit repeated. Yugi forced himself to listen, his breathing slowed slightly, but tears still flooded from his eyes, "You didn't kill anyone with that notebook."

"But-but-but..." Yugi stammered.

"It was probably just a coincidence," even as the other Yugi spoke those words he knew there it wasn't, "Look at how hard Kaiba worked, how much he put on. It was only a matter of time before something like this happened. It just happened at an unfortunate time."

Yugi didn't reply after that, he just sat with his head bowed, tears still streaking down his face. The anguish the spirit felt from Yugi was too much to bare, he took the boy in his arms holding him close.

"Everything will be ok, Aibou," the spirit whispered, "I promise."

--(--)--

"Did you hear what happened to Kaiba?"

"I know, crazy isn't it."

"Guess this means the new duel disk project will be put on hold."

"That'll totally suck man."

"We've been waiting for this thing for those for six months and _this_ happens!"

The murmur in the hallways made Yugi sick, not that he wasn't sick already. He had spent entire night locked in his room. he couldn't bare to see anyone, or do anything but sit and cry. He felt empty and sick inside. He skipped both dinner and breakfast... just that thought of food make his stomach twist into knots.

School just made everything worse. All he heard was Kaiba... but all anyone seemed to care about was what would happen with the company, not that a human being had lost his life.

Nobody in the group said anything about Kaiba or the Death Note Yugi was still carrying around in his bag. As if not speaking about it would make it go away somehow. Even through the halls of the school that were buzzing with gossip, they walked grimly, silent as a the grave the former CEO would soon lay in.

When he got home from school that day Yugi still didn't speak. He went straight up to his room, closing the door behind him. Setting his school bag on the floor he took out the Death Note from inside it. Anger flashed through him, he wanted to be as far away from the note as he could, he never wanted to see it again. He threw it as hard as he could a crossed the room.

It was only then that Yugi realized he wasn't alone in the room.

"That's no way to treat something so... precious," the creature said.

Yugi screamed and plastered himself against the door, it was unlike anything he had seen before. The monster towered over him, dark and lanky. It's head was pale and seemingly sewed on, his eyes bugged out, and his mouth was shaped in a very wide grin with extremely pointed teeth.

"Yugi?" Grandpa Motou called from the hallway, "I heard a yell, is everything okay?"

The other Yugi appeared between the two.

"Lie," he whispered.

"I-It's nothing..." Yugi called back, "I just saw a spider."

"You're not normally scared of spiders," said Grandpa Motou.

"It was a..." Yugi looked up at the creature, "Really big spider... But don't worry, I took care of it."

"Perhaps I should call an exterminator," the old man mused as he returned downstairs to the Game Shop.

Yugi felt the blood drain from his face as the creature to chuckle at him.

"Well, well," the other Yugi spoke, "I've been waiting for you... Shinigami."

"Oh? You've obviously figured out that that is no ordinary notebook," the Death God said, "I'm Ryuk, and I'm the one that dropped that."

"I figured as much," the spirit chuckled.

"O-other me?" Yugi squeaked.

"You see," the other Yugi continued, "I've been around the block enough to know that there was no doubt the Death Note belonged to a shinigami."

"You _knew!_" gasped Yugi, "You knew and you still let me write Kaiba's name down!"

"I must admit, I couldn't stop you," the spirit said shamefully, "Curiosity got the better of me, I just had to know if it _was_ real or not. But that statements true, what is it Aibou? Curiosity killed the cat... or in this case the Kaiba."

Yugi sputtered at him.

"I've heard of a few Death Notes finding their way to the Human World before," Ryuk chuckled, "It's just human nature, I guess, to have to try it at least once."

Yugi gagged as his stomach churned violently.

"I-I used a shinigami's notebook," his legs gave out and he dropped to his knees, "N-now you're here to take my soul or something, right?"

"What's that?" Ryuk bent down to get a better look at Yugi, "Something you humans made up?"

The shinigami let out a laugh, the spirit moved between the mortal and the Death God with his arms out.

"I'm not going to do anything to you," said Ryuk, Yugi looked up surprised, "The moment a Death Note lands in the Human World it belongs to the Human World."

Ryuk lifted a finger towards the two Yugis.

"So it's yours now."

Yugi looked past the shinigami to the Death Note laying on the floor.

"If you don't want it, give it to another human. When you do I'll just have to erase all your memories of the Death Note," Ryuk continued to explain, walking over to the window in Yugi's bedroom, "Oh and since you've used what was my notebook, you're the only one that can see me."

Ryuk jumped out the window to prove his point. The passerby's on the street continued on, totally unaffected by the creature sitting above them watching from a telephone pole.

"Nobody can see me either," Ryuk said, "The Death Note is the bond between Ryuk the shinigami and Yugi the human."

"So there's no price to pay for using the Death Note then?" the other Yugi asked as Ryuk climbed back through the window.

"Well, not exactly," Ryuk chuckled, "But there is terror and torment that only a human who has used a Death Note would experience."

Yugi gulped and the spirits face fell grimly.

"And..." the grin on Ryuk's face seemed even more malicious, "Don't think that any human that's used the Death Note can go to Heaven or to Hell."

There was a pause.

"That's all," Ryuk finished.

Yugi looked up into Ryuk's eyes. He swallowed hard, working up the courage to pull himself up on his feet again.

"How do I get rid of it?" he asked, the other Yugi turned to him, "Do I just throw it out?"

"Aibou..."

"Other me," Yugi insisted, "He can make me forget everything, he can make it all go away!"

"Just because the memories are gone doesn't make everything go away," said the other Yugi, "Kaiba will still be gone whether you remember killing him or not."

"It's better then nothing!" cried Yugi, clenching his fists.

"Aibou, think about it," the spirit said calmly, "By pure accident, you killed someone with that note. There'd just be more deaths if it fell it someone else's hands. Who knows what it'd be used for."

Yugi sniffed, thinking over his other's words. He was right, there were so many ways the Death Note could be used, so many innocent lives could be lost like Kaiba. He felt the spirits arms wrap around him.

"Well keep this," he whispered, "And it will never kill another soul again."

"Okay, other me," Yugi said, "Whatever you say."

Ryuk chuckled at the two souls, "Humans are so interesting."


	4. Chapter 4

**---(Looks around) ... It's been over a YEAR. Why are people still reading this and expecting an update?**

**Well, being the gracious Authoress I am, you ask and I deliver. **

**I've actually been meaning to pick this up again... it was a series of unfortunate events that caused its demise the first time. Like, that whole half of that year isn't even in my memory anymore... I serious thought I had been writing this in February... O.o Most everything between then and MId-July is pretty much black.**

**But! Have no fear, I have returned to finish this! I even have a plot line now... Something I very much lacked the last time I was writing this xD Ha! Hopefully it'll be good. **

**It's actually not complete yet... At a certain point in the story I can go one of two ways. I guess I won't know which way I'll go till I get there. **

**And a big thanks to everyone out there that are still finding this, and reviewing. You guys are so awesome sometimes! I love you all! **

**And now, without further ado, i give you more of "The Note". Enjoy!---**

**The Note:****  
Chapter Four**

The morning fog still lingered on the ground as a single figure made its way through the grave stones. He walked slowly, enjoying the sight around him. he had always felt most comfortable in graveyards. The thought of being surrounded by the dead may creep most people out, but to him he found it to be a nice quiet place, peaceful.

He only stopped when he came to a freshly dug grave. The new tombstone next to it held a name that was all to familiar.

_Seto Kaiba._

He stepped over to the tombstone and ran a finger over the name. It was true, the CEO was dead, gone forever. He knelt before the grave marker and placed a single blood red rose before it.

"Ryou?"

The figure stood and turned to see Mokuba standing behind him. The youths eyes were red from crying and he had lost the childish wonder he used to have. Now he seemed dull... a shadow of his former self.

"You're here early," Mokuba said, "The funerals not for another hour."

"I know," Ryou said softly, "I wasn't doing anything, so I thought I'd come down before the crowds arrive."

That was only part true. He also knew that Yugi would probably show up early to avoid the crowds as well. Ryou had been instructed to confront the pint sized duelist about the notebook, no matter what.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Ryou asked.

"No, I think everything has been taken care of..."

The young Kaiba trailed off. Tears welling up in his eyes.

"Everything will be ok, Mokuba," said Ryou.

"I know," Mokuba sighed, "It just happened so fast. I was there when it happened, and one second big brother was perfectly fine, the next he was just... gone."

Ryou placed a comforting hand on Mokuba's shoulder. Deep inside him the spirit of the Millennium Ring smirked. Hearing that just made everything better.

"Well I've got a few things I need to look over before the funeral starts," Mokuba said, adverting his gaze as a single tear fell. Ryou nodded, but didn't say anything further. The last remaining Kaiba sniffed as he walked away.

"It is real..." he whispered to himself when Mokuba was out of earshot, "It has to be..."

---(--)---

"Yugi!" Grandpa Motou called up the stairs, "Are you almost ready to go?"

A pale face stuck out from under the sanctuary of its blankets and lied, "Almost!"

In all reality Yugi wasn't close to being ready for anything, other then curling up further in his cocoon of fabric and disappearing from the world himself. Which perhaps might have been the most sanest reaction given the fact that on the other side of the room a death god and his notebook were perched on his desk. Ryuk was busying himself this morning by munching loudly on a bright red apple.

"At least there's one good thing here," he chuckled devouring the piece of fruit, core and all, "Apples in the human world are, how you say... _juicy_."

Yugi quickly vanished under the blankets again. The spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, who also occupied the room, shot the shinigami an annoyed look and walked over to the bed.

"Abiou, you need to get up."

"Why?" the question was muffled by the fabric covering him. The other Yugi dug his counterpart out of the blankets and looked straight into his eyes.

"You need to go to that funeral."

It pained the spirit to see Yugi like this. He hadn't been sleeping the past couple days, dark circles formed under his large eyes. He had been becoming more and more recluse, which wasn't like the teen at all. The other Yugi was deeply concerned that if he didn't change this behavior then...

He didn't even want to think about it.

"How many murderers go to their victims funerals?" Yugi asked.

"You are not a murderer," the other Yugi said sternly.

"_I_ wrote his name down!" the teen snapped, "_I killed Seto Kaiba!_"

In the background, Ryuk was chuckling again.

Yugi's face saddened, "Oth-other me?"

"Yes?"

"Could you go for me?"

The other Yugi nodded, "Anything for you, Aibou."

With that the spirit returned to the Puzzle that hung from the teens neck, and a second later he took possession over the body. This had been strange for the shinigami when it first happened... he had never encountered two souls in one body before, but he (like the rest of Yugi's friends) soon became well adjusted to this phenomenon.

"Come along, Ryuk," the other Yugi said once he was dressed and ready, he cracked a smile, "Let's go see how our _victim_ is doing?"

---(--)---

Ryou sat in a nearby tree watching the funeral. He hung around all morning with no sign of Yugi, and when the first of the mourners arrived the spirit inside him grew impatient. But there was no way Ryou was allowed to leave until confrontation with Yugi was had.

The white haired teen felt it better just to get out of the way then to deal with people today. He leaned back against the trunk of the tree, never taking his eyes off the dark group huddled around the fresh grave.

The minutes ticked by slowly. Ryou was bored. He had never been that close to Kaiba... hell, nobody had. This whole thing was a charade. Where ever the CEO was now Ryou highly doubted he cared whether anyone came to pay their respects. He sighed and finally looked away.

It was then that something caught his eye.

He sat up straighter, squinting into the distance trying to get a better look. Two figures were making their way through the graveyard towards Kaiba's grave. The first of them was unmistakably Yugi... but what was _that_ behind him!? A cold wave washed over him as they got closer. The tall lanky monster hovered just behind Yugi, large feathery wings beating lazily, just enough to keep him airborne. His stomach lurched, he quickly put his hands out, catching himself. Had he leaned any further, he would have fallen from the tree.

Yugi joined the group by the grave, the creature flew around a few times before resting on top of the new gravestone. Ryou's eyes widened slightly as they quickly welcomed Yugi and went on with the funeral. Could no one else see the creature? Was it only him? Had he finally gone off the deep end?

The voice in the back of his mind only provided him with one word:

..._shinigami..._

It echoed through him. The chill ran up his spine again.

At last the group started to disperse. Ryou jumped down from the tree and approached the pint sized duelist. Yugi, or the other Yugi rather, was one of the only people left by the grave when Ryou reached him. Jounouchi, Honda, and Tea stood by him talking quietly, Ryou felt a sense of deja-vu this was almost like it had been the day Seto died.

"So that Death Note was real, wasn't it?" Jounouchi asked. Ryou hung back a bit, listening to the conversation.

The other Yugi shook his head, "Don't be ridiculous."

"But Kaiba..." Tea said softly. The other Yugi placed a hand on her shoulder, a stoney look on his face.

"What happened to Kaiba was just really unfortunate timing," he said, "After all, look at how hard he worked. Something like this was bound to happen eventually."

Nobody really looked convinced. Not even the other Yugi.

"Look," he continued, "I know that it looks like that Death Note was what killed Kaiba... but it wasn't. I tested it out again later that night, and nothing happened. That notebook was nothing but a fake."

No one moved. Which surprised Ryou because the large creature had just landed right behind the other Yugi. It looked even worse close up. Like something out of his worse nightmares. No, perhaps he wasn't that bad... after all the spirit of the Ring was who starred in worst of _his_ nightmares.

Having been distracted by the creature he missed the end of the conversation, the teenagers were now wondering off in different directions. Ryou followed after his target, just close enough to listen.

The creature chuckled, "So you lied to them and told them the Death Note was a fake, eh?"

"It was the easiest way to get them to forget about it, Ryuk," the other Yugi said.

Ryou stopped in his tracks. The other Yugi was _talking_ to that... that thing! He felt a bit of relief that someone else could see this... Ryuk. But where...?

The teens face darkened as a crooked smile graced his lips.

"He's the death god that dropped that notebook," he answered himself, watching the two figures leave now, "I must have it for myself."


End file.
